humorous
If something is humorous it's funny. Humorous is a fine tone for toasting at your friend’s wedding, but not so much for the reading of someone's last will and testament.
When we talk about humor, we’re usually talking about something funny. But originally the word humorous had to do with the body’s humors, or moods. If you’re reading a medieval book on medicine, you might find descriptions of humorous maladies. Those aren’t joke sicknesses. But if anyone born after 1700 says something is humorous, it means they think it's funny.
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full of or characterized by humor“humorous stories”“humorous cartoons”“in a humorous vein”drollcomical in an odd or whimsical mannerGilbertianwildly comic and improbable as in Gilbert and Sullivan operasslapstickcharacterized by horseplay and physical actionwaggishwitty or jokingwittycombining clever conception and facetious expressionpleasinggiving pleasure and satisfactionantonyms:humorlesslacking humorsobersidedcompletely lacking in humor or lightness of touchpo-facedhumorless and disapprovingunfunnynot funny; especially failing to achieve the intended humor
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Vocabulary lists containing humorous
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Questions on the GED Reasoning Through Language Arts Test will ask you to identify an author's tone, purpose, or point of view. Practice these lists to familiarize yourself with common words used to describe an author's attitude or perspective.
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